Martinson Bros. v. Hjellum

359 N.W.2d 865, 1985 N.D. LEXIS 234
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 3, 1985
DocketCiv. 10593
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 359 N.W.2d 865 (Martinson Bros. v. Hjellum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martinson Bros. v. Hjellum, 359 N.W.2d 865, 1985 N.D. LEXIS 234 (N.D. 1985).

Opinion

VANDE WALLE, Justice.

Martinson Bros., a partnership, and John W. Martinson, Linda L. Martinson, Oscar B. Martinson, and Susan M. Libecki brought an action for damages against John Hjellum and the law firm of Hjellum, Weiss, Nerison, Jukkala & Wright alleging legal malpractice in connection with the defense of the foreclosure and deficiency-judgment suits at issue in Oakes Farming Ass’n v. Martinson Bros., 318 N.W.2d 897 (N.D.1982). Following a bench trial, the district court ruled in favor of Hjellum. Oscar Martinson has appealed “from the Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order for Judgment” and from an order denying his post-trial motions. Hjellum has moved to dismiss both appeals. We deny Hjellum’s motion to dismiss the appeal “from the Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order for Judgment”; grant Hjellum’s motion to dismiss the appeal from the order denying Martinson’s post-trial motions; and affirm the judgment of the district court.

MOTION TO DISMISS

On September 29, 1983, the district court issued its memorandum decision, which was designated to serve as its findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order for judgment. Judgment was entered on October 20, 1983.

Martinson has filed two notices of appeal. The first states that he appeals “from the Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order for Judgment entered in this action on the 20th day of October, 1983.” 1 Hjellum asserts that we are without jurisdiction to consider this appeal.

Hjellum correctly points out that an order for judgment, as contrasted with the judgment itself, is not appealable. E.g., Fey v. Fey, 337 N.W.2d 159 (N.D.1983); Piccagli v. North Dakota State Health Dept., 319 N.W.2d 484 (N.D.1982). However, the circumstances in this case are almost identical to those present in Sacchini v. Dickinson State College, 338 N.W.2d 81, 82 n. 1 (N.D.1983), and Aasmundstad v. Dickinson State College, 337 N.W.2d 792, 793 n. 1 (N.D.1983). In both Sacchini and Aasmundstad appeals were taken “ ‘from the Order for Judgment entered in this action on the 20th day of December, 1982.’ ” Because the judgments themselves, rather than the orders for judgment, were entered on December 20, 1982, we treated the appeals as being taken from the judgments.

In this case, the judgment was entered on October 20, 1983, and it is the only document in the record bearing that date. We therefore conclude that the appeal is, in fact, from the judgment entered on that date. Cf. Eisenzimmer v. City of Balfour, 352 N.W.2d 628 (N.D.1984); Hadland v. Schroeder, 326 N.W.2d 709 (N.D.1982).

Martinson’s second appeal is from the district court’s memorandum and order *869 denying his post-trial motions for a new trial, for a directed verdict, for relief from judgment, and for a stay of judgment pending appeal. Martinson neither briefed nor argued in the district court or this court any issues related to these motions. See Rule 8.2(d), N.D.R.O.C. Martinson’s brief in opposition to the motion to dismiss contains no response to Hjellum’s arguments for dismissing the second appeal. We therefore deem it abandoned and dismiss Martinson’s appeal from the district court’s memorandum and order denying his post-trial motions.

MERITS

I. Facts 2

In the fall of 1977, the Martinsons decided to purchase a 2,300-acre potato-farming operation owned by the Oakes Farming Association [Oakes]. The Martin-sons met with Hjellum, who had represented them in various legal matters beginning in 1969, and requested that he review a contract which had been prepared by Oakes’s attorneys for the sale of the farmland and equipment. The contract listed the total purchase price of the real and personal property as $2,702,000, with the Martinsons assuming the obligations under three other contracts. The first contract to be assumed by the Martinsons was for the sale of real property which Oakes had purchased from Orrin and Naomi Streich, the second was an equipment installment sales contract between Oakes and the Streichs, and the third was for the sale of additional real property which Oakes had purchased from Leo and Alice Spitzer. Hjellum redrafted the agreement because of various omissions in the proposed contract. The Martinsons paid $5,000 in earnest money, and the contract was signed by all of the parties effective December 31, 1977.

The Martinsons took possession on January 1, 1978, and placed the entire farm into the production of potatoes, contrary to the advice of others to diversify. They were inexperienced in the planting, growing, harvesting, and marketing of potatoes.

Many problems befell the Martinsons during 1978. The Martinsons failed to apply a recommended herbicide to the crop, irrigation equipment worked poorly, they were unable to secure adequate financing for the potato operation because of a poor credit rating, and the market price of potatoes dropped. The Martinsons’ potato harvesters were repossessed during the harvest season. Hjellum successfully negotiated for the return of the harvesters so that harvest work could continue, and also assisted the Martinsons in securing a $100,-000 loan to pay for harvest labor.

The Martinsons were unable to make any payments under the terms of their contract with Oakes. As a result, Oakes was unable to pay the Streichs. In October 1978, the Streichs brought two separate lawsuits against Oakes to foreclose the contract for deed and to cancel the equipment installment sales contract. Oakes then brought a cross-claim against the Martinsons in January 1979 seeking $633,879 for their failure to make the payments due under the December 31, 1977, agreement; $434,642 for their failure to pay the installments due under the Oakes-Streich equipment installment sales contract; and to foreclose and cancel any interest the Martinsons had in the real property involved, specifically reserving its right to request a deficiency judgment in a separate action. Hjellum, on behalf of the Martinsons, filed a counterclaim and an answer to the cross-claim, but *870 did not assert as a defense that the December 1977 agreement for the sale of the real and personal property was nonseverable under this court’s decision in McKee v. Kinev, 160 N.W.2d 97 (N.D.1968). 3

During the ensuing months, Hjellum advised the Martinsons to authorize a settlement and conferred on various occasions with his clients, counsel for the other parties, and the trial judge. The Martinsons, however, refused to accept any settlement offers and wished to continue to operate the farm.

The trial judge called a special term of court for March 1979 to fix a redemption period and determine possessory rights so that a crop could be produced for the 1979 season.

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Bluebook (online)
359 N.W.2d 865, 1985 N.D. LEXIS 234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martinson-bros-v-hjellum-nd-1985.